BTP records ‘shocking’ rise in sex crimes at London train stations since 2022
Thousands of train station crimes are reported every year, and sex offences at stations across the UK have soared to all-time highs, according to latest data.
Figures obtained by Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice in a Freedom of Information request to British Transport Police (BTP) found that, since 2022, there have been nearly 4,000 reported sex crimes at train stations across London.
BTP’s 2024 annual report shows that there has been a ten per cent rise in recorded sexual offences against women on railways from the previous year, up from 2,246 to 2,475.
A survey of 2,000 people commissioned by the BTP last year also found that more than a third of women had been a victim of sexual harassment or sexual offending on their commute.
Despite this, a large number of women do not report their experiences, as many people feel scared or believe that their experience won’t be taken seriously.
BTP Detective Chief Inspector Nia Mellor said: “Tackling sexual offences is our top priority at BTP, and we take every report of sexual harassment or violence extremely seriously.
“We know that these crimes commonly go under-reported, which is why we relentlessly campaign to encourage witnesses and victims to report these offences to us. With this, we expect the number of reports to continue to rise.
“We view this increase as a positive sign that our efforts are paying off, and that women and girls are feeling more confident to report all forms of sexual harassment and violence on the rail network to us.”
In 2022, BTP logged 1,189 sex crimes at London stations, the second-highest number of crimes over the past three years.
A year later, this number increased to 1,276 crimes.
Train stations in the area have seen another rise in sex crimes over the past year, with a total of 1,435.
Crime on the transport network hit a record high last year, with almost 80,000 offences recorded by the BTP in 2023/24.
According to the same data, around 25 crimes are committed each day at the ten worst-hit train stations in the UK.
Violent crimes and sex offences have both soared to all-time highs, doubling in the past ten years and overall, levels are 55 per cent up on a decade earlier.
The top five London stations based on recorded crime figures over the past year were also revealed by the BTP.
Euston Station saw the most crimes committed last year, at 1,834, followed by London Bridge Station, which saw 1,594 crimes take place.
Speaking to The Mirror, the RMT union said: “These statistics are utterly shocking and show the unacceptable levels of violence that passengers and our members face. We believe more staffing is essential to a safer railway.”
Sexual Abuse Compensation Advice also obtained figures on other types of crime that the BTP recorded over the past three years.
London train stations have seen an increase in recorded crime since 2022, with notable jumps in violence and theft of passenger property.
Some incidents of sexual offences at train stations may include indecent exposure or cyberflashing, which can have a lasting psychological impact on victims.
When it comes to crime on the railway, it has been identified that sexual harassment is under-reported, which makes it hard for law enforcement to intervene.
Det Chief Insp Mellor said: “We are working tirelessly to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour. We have patrols of uniformed and specially trained plain clothes officers across the railway day and night to catch offenders and reassure passengers as they travel, along with access to over 150,000 cameras across the railway network, which can provide us with clear, high-quality images.
“Each report we receive provides us with valuable information which we can use to build a picture of an offender. Often it allows us to notice a pattern of offending behaviour so we can take action.”
For further information and advice visit https://www.sexualabusecompensationadvice.org.uk/our-research-into-train-station-sex-crimes/